Trunk shows: Getting your town shopping again

A mention on Sharing about an offer of not-quite-what-I-carry merchandise led to a discussion about how to merchandise such a find. Seems a shame, we all agree, to pass up something that could be verr-rr-y interesting, shopping- and selling-wise.

My first thought was of having a trunk show.

A trunk show is a special event within the fashion world in which an artist or designer puts on a special display of his or her work for review by a select group. They are referred to as “trunk shows” because a designer or sales rep will literally show up with a trunk of merchandise to show off. Trunk shows are common in boutiques and boutique divisions of department stores. The Chanel department at Saks Fifth Avenue, for example, may put on a trunk show for its best clients (read more)

The more I thought about it, the more appealing trunk shows are as promotional events that will get people shopping again. Think about what such an event can do for your marketplace and your shop:

Showcase items which your clientele might like but which you do not normally carry in meaningful amounts (example: the vintage clothing mentioned at Sharing, above) thus compiling and compressing profits from an off-beat merchandise category

Allow your public to shop for something that they’d like, but something that doesn’t have enough year-round appeal to warrant a full-fledged effort (example: a holiday-themed show of Easter or Christmas crafts)

Offer more to your clientele: not only the merchandise, but as an additional shopping treat, an evening-before preview to your Preferred Client Club, an invitation-only event.

A test lab for expanding your quotidian merchandise offerings. Who knew, you might end up thinking, that hand-crafted jewelry or hand-painted silk ties could be so popular?

Introduce your shop to the customers of your vendor(s) (example: holding a trunk show of “feminine accessories” from local antique dealers will draw new potential customers to your shop)

Get your town shopping again. Making it fun, unusual, and available for a limited time only will stimulate those latent shopping tendencies. If you have a tie-in with a local charity (“a portion of the proceeds will be donated to…”) helps everyone feel good…and helps your press releases get attention as well.

Buy-outright shops could purchase and stockpile items which could become an “in-store” trunk show (example: menswear in a womenswear shop…just think, you could have a great show of “real” boyfriend sweaters, cashmere overcoats, terrific vests….)

Now traditionally a trunk show is one designer’s offerings. But just as consignment, resale and thrift shops are not “traditional” venues, we don’t have to have a traditional trunk show.

If we like, we could have 2-5 vendors of related goods in an almost-bazaar type of event, promoting and deciding within a theme (locally-made accessories, redesigned clothing or recycled home decor)

But it would still be fun to have a “trunk” show using trunks and even vintage suitcases as the decorative theme…so start looking for some old trunks to beg from friends’ attics, borrow from local antique dealers giving full credit of course…or “steal” by finding for a few dollars at a local thrift! (And what a great window display beforehand to build anticipation!)

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